Caltech scientists develop AR headset that turns the optical world into aural English

Microsoft’s HoloLens virtual reality headset will make its way to some developers early next year. (Photo courtesy Microsoft/TNS)

To assist the blind in navigating unfamiliar places, scientists at Caltech in the US state of California have developed an augmented reality technology housed within a portable headset that gives objects a voice. 

This week, Caltech announced the publication of a paper ("Augmented Reality Powers a Cognitive Assistant for the Blind") outlining the work of scientists who "have combined augmented reality hardware and computer vision algorithms to develop software that enables objects to ‘talk'."